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At the 9.43 mark of the third quarter, after Hopper had injured his leg again, I noted Oliver giving a pat to the injured opposition player. I turn 74 today, and the older I get, the more gestures like that impress me. With regard to Oliver's performance, he's slowly but surely getting there. he has come from a long way back. All power to him.

Open hand. Closed hand. Who cares - the AFL needs to get real and start suspending players for those pathetic acts. It is beyond unsporting. Is that really how the AFL want the game to be seen? And I completely concur - clarry is super fair and multiple times this year has displayed care and concern for opposition players.

I agree that Oliver is being ‘transformed’ but my take is a little different in that he will be a better player than he already is as he feels more loved, and valued as the person he is warts and all. One aspect of the transformation is he always shunned the limelight. But look at him now! Chosen to model our ANZAC jumper – a great honour and implicitly equating him with the ANZAC spirit: Courageous, mate ship, sacrifice. Oliver has those in spades. Recently he has conducted several postgame interviews even when not BOG and has embraced the role of representing the club with humility and courage. His confidence is growing with the media showing him respect and love. They are implicitly saying no one cares about his past foibles. His self belief as a person is noticeably growing. My sense it is a deliberate strategy by the AFL, the club and the media. If so, kudos to them all. I’m loving watching Oliver mature as a person and come what may in his football I have little doubt he will be in a better place generally. Like you, just seeing him happy brings me joy.

people are underrating how well disciplined yze has the tigs playing, particularly given the sheer amount of players they have on the sidelines currently easy to forget they knocked off sydney when they were absolutely flying in the first half they closed down space brilliantly and meant we couldn't get any ball movement going, our disposal was atrocious and gifted them scoring opportunities in the second half we continued to play the way we want to play - not a clearance-based game, but instead a post-clearance possession game - and we pretty much dominated as we expected

No way is Petty getting dropped. Troy Chaplin was interviewed pre game and said that they are aware he's down in form but will back him to the full to find that find at AFL level. He went on to further explain that he has all the attributes of a key forward that they're looking for in terms of his work rate, defensive pressure and ability to hunt the ground ball. Similar was said about Turner as well.

Clarry can be seen regularly having a chat to the player closest to him - Demon or not. I've always wondered what he's saying. Be pretty random I think. Recon it could be something like these: The wind has really sprung up - good for you guys Where did you guys get that number 21 from - he can play? Do you understand all the ads on the scoreboard? Did you hit the traffic snarl on Swan street coming in? You recon all the balls are the same pressure today?

I'd also point out the 52% inside 50 efficiency with 26 shots from 50 entries. We were recently getting telephone numbers for entries and doing very little with them. I'd like to see our average across the season but this shows we're doing something right.

Your original point was the lack of moves made by Goody, and you have continued to pull the narrative his moves are made out of desperation. Many have given you examples of moves made by the coaching staff, Binman has pointed out the changes to the game plan/style. I say he is trying to implement a winning game plan for another premiership. Clubs worked us out after 2021 as all clubs do when you win a premiership. His record speaks for itself. Scott took over a decade to change his game plan and he and the Cats reaped the rewards in 2022. One could say it was out of desperation as his stars were at the end of their careers and he had no other choice. They haven’t beaten anyone of note in 2024, and 2023 was a disaster. I’m not sure Scott is the template to use here. He doesn’t have a Trac, Oliver and Viney to utilise. One could argue he is desperate as he hasn’t the midfield cattle and shuffles them as he knows how average their midfield is. Why would any coach throw Clarry, Viney and Trac anywhere else but where they play now? Would you throw Trac down back? Can the players you pointed out play in those positions?Yes, But why would you coach in a way that weakens the team? Goody rotates his flanker and midfielders throughout the game. He rotates his KPP players as well. But when you have stars like May, Lever, Clarry, Gawn Trac and Viney, they get the majority of time in their best positions Point being, Goody makes his moves with the cattle he has at his disposal. I like the moves and see he is trying new things and new ways. Not out of desperation potato, patarto.

First and foremost: Happy birthday Monbon! Hope you had a wonderful day. 💕 I fully agree with what you and others have said about Clarrie showing fantastic sportsmanship yesterday. But I’m wondering if people feel the same way about Clarrie letting Cripps know he had visible blood on his face, thereby prompting Cripps to wipe it away lest he be sent off on the blood rule. It happened towards the end of a match last year and I distinctly remember folks sticking the boots in saying it was dumb of Clarrie to do so because it would’ve been to our advantage had Cripps been sent off (in a tight match). FWIW, I don’t think Clarrie ought to have been bagged for this. Helping others is obviously an innate quality of his. Why would anyone want him to change? And good luck trying to get him to change.

I did no such thing. For petes sake, a third of the way through the season we are 5-2, 4th on the ladder with the 4th best percentage of any team, having played 3 of our 7 games interstate. 5-2. 4th on the ladder. 4th best percentage. With four of our best 22 to come back in (salo,Bowser, Hunter and melk). And it feels as if we are no good? Man oh man we see the game differently.

Goody tries nothing like: Turner fwd Petty fwd Rivers mid Salem mid Brayshaw back T Mac back again Trying 1/2/3 tall fwds Playing first year kids like Windsor and Kolt I reckon Goody gets a bad rep for being stubborn and not trying stuff but he is getting a lot better in this area the last 2 years imo. Also game plan mixed up somewhat this season

Fascinating. I reckon, despite the rumour that he was deemed uncoachable at the Dees, Mitchell has coached/threatened him to only dispose on highest percentage options. Noticed this timidity in our recent game. There’s the other side of Frosty tho, and that’s the not so great play reading and positioning. Not a natural footballer at all, but may have made the best of himself. Kudos due.

I was going to say the same after watching the replay too. In the first 10 minutes he got to great places 5/6 times for what should have been 5 uncontested marks but each time the delivery was rubbish and he ended with no marks from any

Nor I. Then there was the second half. 76 % disposal efficiency. Season average all teams is 65%. Truly a game of two halves 😉. Which one is us? I’m going with ‘you’re only as good as your last half”.

I agree with all of the above. Contest and pressure is absolutely the foundation of our game. It is fir all clubs. And for the dees the other fundamental is defence. And I'd agree that come finals our game will revert back to a large degree to a forward half, territory game. That's finals footy. But hopefully key elements of the new, transition from back half method will remain in place. And hopefully playing a less contested, coal face game during the home and away series will mean we are not as banged up come finals as we were in 2023 and 2022. I mean think back to those seasons. At the end of 2022 our first pre finals training session looked like an episode of MASH with all the bandages and limping. At the end of last season our forward line was missing so many players that we had to bring in an injured tmac. It is obvious, and clarry said as much, that they want to make the home and way season less physically taxing. And there is hardly a more taxing method than that used by the dees since the start of the 2021 season. It makes perfect sense to implement a less taxing methodin the home and away season and kudos to goody for doing so - particularly given the associated risks, winning fewer games being the obvious one. But in order to change something so fundamental we are going to have to wear some funky stats, some out of character performances and some losses too. Rome wasn't built in a day.

Hard to read and hard to win. We may be 5-4 with increased pressure on Goodwin and some maligned players (injured or not) - the pressure to become insular and protective of our backline will be strong and revert to our inert and boring 22-23 style. We have to put up the losses and be confident that we are on the right path. Even if it’s for the sake of 2025.

Everything they tried against us worked. Even the ball ran for them. Average players played the game of their careers. Even Hipwood impressed (briefly) before fading back into irrelevance in the second half. Even without considering our lead-in work load, it was just one of those games. Let it go.

I am a Petty fan. Before his injury he was doing well. However it took a few games before that to get going/confidence. Once he has that first good game he will improve his consistency and output. He has a beautiful kick for goal, good hands and brings some mongrel. Watch out kitty's. They are not dropping him, nor moving him to the backline. Goody shows that he has lots of patience with his big forwards, example Weeds and even JVR. We are building our season, and will peak at the right time.

How predictable the whole “how did we lose to [insert name of team who were just thumped]? They’re absolutely sch!tt and yet they beat us!” thing is. Extremely predictable and extremely tiresome. What a redundant comment to make in general, but especially when it was the Giants and not North Melbourne or WCE who belted the Lions. I hate it almost as much as I hate this old chestnut (to be said in your sternest voice while wagging your finger): “I hope you’re watching this, Goodwin. You could learn a thing or two.” Mods, we really need an eye roll reaction. 🙄

Hipwood smashed and caught red hot but still plays for the free throwing his head around and rolling his eyes after at the ump as if he's unlucky. Have to say i really dislike Brissy. Zorko, Hipwood, Neale, Answerth, Wilmot bah

And I’d like to sleep with Margot Robbie but that’s not going to happen either

Young, Vlastuin and Grimes each took one contested mark last night. That’s it for Richmond tall defenders and they weren't all vs Petty. You're making stuff up.

Petty’s stats: 7 clangers 3 free kicks against /0 for 0 contested marks The game previous: 2 kicks / 2 clangers we can’t carry this type of output against better teams

The Demons put their foot down after half time to notch up a clinical win by 43 points over the Tigers at the MCG on ANZAC Eve keeping touch with the Top 4.

Two weeks ago, when the curtain came down on Melbourne’s game against the Brisbane Lions, the team trudged off the MCG looking tired and despondent at the end of a tough run of games played in quick succession. In the days that followed, the fans wanted answers about their team’s lamentable performance that night and foremost among their concerns was whether the loss was a one off result of fatigue or was it due to other factor(s) of far greater consequence. As it turns out, the answer to the major question is still blowing in the wind after the traditional Anzac Day Eve clash between the Demons and the Tigers with the fans forced to wait a little longer for the big reveal. Not surprisingly, the match up between teams in different stages of development was never going to be a definitive guide to those perplexed by the team’s reversal of fortune after such a good week in Adelaide. There were however, some encouraging signs of work in progress towards resolving some of the puzzles presented lately to Simon Goodwin and his coaching panel. Admittedly, they only came later in the game. Circumstance made this event one that most of the 72,840 fans who turned up to the MCG would rather forget. Given the plight of the Richmond Football Club and its ever-expanding injury list and the fact that new Tiger coach Adem Yze was intimately familiar with the way the Demons play, it was inevitable that the game would turn into a slog which is precisely how the first half turned out. The crowd was treated to congested play, skill errors in abundance and a low scoring battle of the defences. A single point favoured the Tigers when the major break delivered us all to twenty minutes of respite. There was nothing more to say other than that Demon fans were entitled to feel a little despair. They had come to the football after a fortnight reflecting on a truly abysmal effort from its much vaunted midfield engine room and even worse from its forwards. Skipper Max Gawn had again been solid and key defenders Jake Lever and Steven May, their usual dependable selves as they marshalled the backline but overall, the team was faltering. Leaving aside the final term against the Lions who slammed on the brakes with the game well and truly won, scoring had seemingly stopped to a trickle. The line of attack was once again looking helpless and impotent. Whatever Goodwin said or did at half time, it worked to great effect. Or perhaps, it was simply his regular game style finally forcing the Tiger hand. The team was suddenly imbued with something - call it the Anzac Spirit if you like - but they lifted their intensity and produced an inspirational ten goal to two second half that witnessed the arrival in football terms of a new key forward. Daniel Turner will definitely be one of the few who will remember this match, along with Jason Taylor who recruited him with a late selection in the midseason draft almost three years ago. The man they call “Disco” announced himself with his three goals on a night when both his side and the opposition managed just three each in the first half. He could hardly be described as an overnight sensation. His progress since he was drafted mainly as a defender has been slow and painful, marred by injuries and a measure of disappointment along the way. And he was almost there when the club prepared him to go forward on the eve of last year’s finals but, alas, others were preferred. Then came another injury setback in the month before the start of this season. Fans will be hoping that he’s not going to be a one hit wonder. The Melbourne cause was aided by two goals each from Bayley Fritsch, Kysaiah Pickett and another newcomer to the club’s goal kicking ranks in the tactical sub, Bailey Laurie, who also will likely not forget the night. Suddenly, there was some versatility in the forward set up adding to the undoubted talent of Fritta and Kozzie. Now for a repeat of that for the full four quarters against the big guns! What we witnessed after half time was a bolder Melbourne emerging upon Max Gawn’s Frank 'Checker' Hughes medal-winning performance in wearing down Toby Nankervis and thereby, the rest of the brave Richmond line up who were by now constantly turning the ball over under pressure. Gawn finished with 23 disposals and 10 marks to go with his 26 hit outs and a goal when it really mattered to start the scoring with the match still an arm wrestle six minutes into the second half. Jake Lever’s game in defence built up to a crescendo and his 26 disposals, 11 marks and 15 intercept possessions were sublime. There’s also a lot to like about how Trent Rivers is maturing into a player of high quality. The Demons got out of the night with a percentage booster and now sit on a 5 - 2 record. They hold a much happier disposition than the one they had at half time. The midfield is still nowhere near its best but no injuries were reported either, which augurs well for their next two matches against two of the competition’s best performed clubs. Perhaps then, supporters will finally discover the answer to the big question troubling them since that problematic game against the Brisbane Lions. Bring it on! MELBOURNE 2.3.15 3.5.23 8.7.55 13.7.85 RICHMOND 1.3.9 3.6.24 4.8.32 5.12.42 GOALS MELBOURNE Turner 3 Fritsch Laurie Pickett 2 Gawn Petracca van Rooyen Windsor RICHMOND Rioli 2 Bolton Lefau Martin BEST MELBOURNE Lever Gawn Turner May Langdon Oliver RICHMOND Lefau Broad Dow Hopper Baker INJURIES MELBOURNE Nil RICHMOND Jacob Hopper (hamstring) REPORTS MELBOURNE Nil RICHMOND Nil SUBSTITUTIONS MELBOURNE Bailey Laurie (replaced Caleb Windsor in the final quarter) RICHMOND Kamdyn McIntosh (replaced Jacob Hopper in the third quarter) UMPIRES Fisher, Stevic, Broadbent, Adair CROWD 72,840 at the MCG

I get the natural reaction to Brisbane's loss is the SWYL style "what an embarrassment". Every year we get to a point where we get the "circle of parity", whereby you can say "A beat B, but B beat C, but C beat D" and get all the way back to where you started. Last year Collingwood lost to Hawthorn a month before finals, Brisbane (2nd) lost to Hawthorn and also lost to Gold Coast (another bottom 4 side) a month before finals. Yes, we lost to Brisbane, badly, but they love playing us, they would have steeled themselves for the game, and despite their poor start to the year the talent on their list is obvious. And that's before we get to the fixture lead-in to the game, whatever that was/wasn't worth. It's frustrating, but not embarrassing.

Oskar Smartt from Bendigo and Tobyn Murray from Geelong were good in the young guns game. Like to see more and would fit in as youngsters with more upside. Murray especially had skills and balance to make an AFL midfielder.

As others have mentioned, the next two games will be the ideal measurement for where this club is at. I believe we have reason to be concerned. The game pies v dons looked like a different league. But if there's one thing that has changed about our club in the last few years is their never say die attitude. Maybe we will come roaring back. And if by chance we win the next two, I think we will definitely be top four and a certain flag favorite again.

Apparently the coach and the team laughed at the mistakes at half time. After half time we were much better. Why criticise the coaching technique?

Didn't do any preseason due to his foot injury. Came into the AFL team off just a couple of half VFL games (where he also struggled) and people are surprised that he is struggling to get involved. Running is a very important part of playing AFL football and Petty hasn't been able to do any due to a long term foot injury. If you can't run then you can't play.

I have rewatched the second half a couple of times to try and get a handle on our performance, first half was woefully poor, Helter skelter kick and run get the ball forward at all cost turn the ball over and Tiges did the same thing, so hard to watch. Thank god for our backline young and older our style of play put them under so much pressure. Second half we moved the ball smarter and ground down the Tiges backline, we started to break even in the midfield and our forwards got on top. Fritta, Kozzie, Disco, the Duke and then Bill all showed some real class. Max, Rick, Steven, Riv, Blake Howes, Judd McVee, Alex and Ed Langdon all played four good quarters of football and Tracc, Jack, Sparrow and Clayton had better second halves. One thing that really stood out was Disco’s game, he has put his hand up for our vacant third tall role. I can see why our Casey followers are so excited by his endeavour, marking, kicking and footy smarts, stay healthy Daniel “Disco” Turner you offer a point of difference. Not sure about Harrison Petty should he swap with TMac so he can get some confidence back, Chin needs to find the ball more, JVR needs to hold his marks and Woey needs more game time. Next two weeks will be illuminating.!!

He's clearly a confidence player and always has been. Playing back next to May and Lever allowed him to do his thing without being one of the main men really. He had a difficult return in his first game of 2021 (against Hawthorn was it?), but after that settled in nicely to our defence and by the end of the year was clearly confident and felt at home. Now he's being asked to lead the forwardline with a younger JVR and Disco. I've said it before, but if he stays injury free this year, he will kick a bag at some stage and get his mojo back. At the moment, a player like Petty needs to find that mojo at AFL level, in so many ways the VFL competition is useless. So I'd be strongly against him going back there, but will back the FD if that's what they think, but I doubt they will. The strategy I think will be to have very basic KPIs, getting to as many contests as possible, bringing the ball to ground where he can't mark it, making sure his opponent doesn't intercept on him and eventually the wheel will turn and he'll get his 'bite of the cherry' as they say. He does all this and stays fit and healthy and he can play a huge role for us this year. A match winning one at times.

For some sick reason getting into it with the Collingwood ferals is making me look forward to it more! Hope we win so we can give them a nice send off wave

Are we taking Jenkins advice? There’s morons and there’s guys like Jenkins. His inability to understand a game he played is extraordinary. When Salem and Bowey come back and with TMac playing so well our backline is the envy of the comp. If Petty can stay fit and can build into the season he’s an absolute weapon as a forward. Alongside Turner, JVR, Pickett, Fritsch and McAdam he’s an asset. Down back he’s surplus to our needs.

I completely agree.

A very interesting watch here. Petty's individual performance has not been anything at all up to standard, but at the same time he is very important for structure, and as JVR said in his interview with Stafford, Petty is someone who uplifts the whole team and improves cohesion. He does look down on confidence and i wouldn't be surprised if the trade issues were affecting him as well. An interrupted pre season does not help either - i think we should stick by him and re-assess after our next block of games vs Geelong/Carlton. I have a feeling patience will be rewarded in the near future.

TMac myths - he's a horrible field kick. According to Wheeloratings he's mid table for turnovers per match and disposals per turnover for key defenders and better than May and Lever on the first and better than Lever but worse than May on the second, probably because May takes some point kick-ins. Ironically Frosty is pretty close to best KPD in both categories.

Clarrie appears to be in a much better place these days and for that I’m sure all of us couldn’t be happier. May that better place remain his for the rest of his life. But there are always trade-offs in life, and maybe one of those trade-offs (although minor in the bigger scheme of things) is that, given what @Monbon has described above, perhaps Clayton has lost some of the football motivation that he had in previous years - because he may now feel he no longer needs football to prove his worth as a person. The massive talent is still there when he wants to pull it out, but his form and on-field attitude since his hamstring injury last year have been very un-Clayton like. (This might be all BS, but I haven’t seen Clayton-the-best-player-of-our-generation-Oliver since that injury and this may well be an explanation). if Clarrie is happy and healthy I’m happy, even if it results in him having transformed from a “brilliant” player to an “average” player with occasional “brilliant” glimpses. But if he comes out next week and has an absolute blinder then I’d be even happier for him.

For all those projecting dire and disastrous consequence against Geelong because of horrible kicking/turnovers like Wednesday’s first half, i.e. 56% disposal efficiency (10 percentage points below all game average), would love to know what you think happens if we play like the second half, i.e. 76% disposal efficiency (10 points ABOVE all game average)?

Thank you for your birthday wishes. I agree with you 150% about the Cripps incident. I'll bet my bottom dollar that Clarrie had a difficult time growing up, that he was picked on. I recall an ex North player whose Beechworth winery I represented, telling me that Clarrie was 'Trouble' when Melbourne recruited him. Now, let's just say, because of where I came from in July 1956 when we landed at Port Melbourne on the good ship Fairsea, I got picked on. These incidents beyond one's control stay with you for the rest of your life. At the time it's happening, you are forced to 'deal with the real' and make the best of it. I'm not relating this as a sob story, I am trying to make a point that as survivors of those 'facts of life', people like Clarrie choose to behave with true compassion for the rest of their lives, something I recognize, because I chose to take this option as well. In other words, it taught me about the true meaning of, I am you and you are me.

Thanks all for your comments/concerns (?). My name is actually St John (pronounced Sin-gen) Lascelles Mustafa Nguyen-Smith III. If I was playing AFL, I'm not sure that the commentators would call me by my full name. Interestingly, I recall Neal-Bullen being called Bullen. It's the opposite of the abhorent behaviour which I have been calling out. PS. Don't think this is over !!!

I feel like a voyeur when Werridee gets his selection on.

This to me is now why it will be hard to get a read on the Geelong and Carlton games. If we've got Woey, Lever and TMac trying to hit those angled kicks into the corridor versus Bowser or Salo, it is pretty likely we'll turn the ball over far more often than we would without those two injured. Huge outs.

I read this as the best Quarter that we have played this season… Anyway, Petty is not replaced by Turner after one game from the XVIII.

That assumes they get through their game against the blues on Saturday injury free. I'm predicting two hammy tweaks and a suspension.

Love your work Werridee! I keep imagining your house with different team lineups on with every window.

I think it is completely obvious that his confidence is shot. Posters say his attitude is like he wants to be in Adelaide. I disagree completely. I believe if he kicks a couple of goals in a row we will then see a completely different player. The question is: should he go to Casey to get those goals?

The Cats will play keepings off. Take it to the bank. The key for us is to stop that and put pressure on the ball carrier. They switch at every opportunity and try to control tempo. We have to cover the ground well to contain them The Richmond game was scrappy and we turned the ball over a lot but the Cats will be a different stye of game One thing Goodwin is good at is ensuring that the first halves of games are a scrap and an arm wrestle. He likes to stay in games for long periods before grinding out wins. Geelong are totally beatable and we will have to play well to do it. A number of players need to lift but most of all our midfield. Our backline this year has been awesome and deserve a huge amount of credit for keeping us on track while our mids have gone missing

He's coming off a 6 month injury, I think judgement needs to be held until the mid way point of the season